Wednesday 14 February 2018

My garden and other problems.

Someone who commented on my post yesterday said how she liked the look of the design of my garden and how she couldn't wait to see what would come up in a few weeks time.

I am afraid the answer to that is simple.   The lady who lived here was not the slightest bit interested in gardening so almost nothing is planted.  There are several elderly, sad shrubs, which are sadly in need of taking out and replacing, there is a rockery but all there is in it is one cluster of snowdrops.

The other side of the path on the top layer has  got an infestation of Mares Tail - a weed which is impossible to eradicate however hard you try.

You will have noticed that the garden is steep and has been terraced.   The bottom tier can be reached by standing on the patio so I have planted up two areas with a lot of Spring bulbs, which are just beginning to come through.   I am about to go to a garden centre and choose five new shrubs, which my gardener will plant for me.   I shall then buy a selection of rock plants for the top tier, but I shall be unable to plant this up as I feel totally unsafe climbing up to that height.   As to the side with the Mares Tail, then I have no idea what to do there.

The front garden, which is quite large, is entirely lawn.  I might possibly get my gardener to cut out a bed and plant something in it to relieve the monotony - I haven't decided yet.   Spring needs to come first.

No sign of it today though.   The snow which fell yesterday has remained, there is a strong wind blowing and it is bitterly cold.   To add insult to injury, when I switched my television on this morning to watch the News I just got a black screen and a sign saying No Signal and it has been like that all day.   The television engineer has just been and he has been out most of the day doing exactly the same thing.   For some reason I was not picking up the signal from the North East and Cumbria transmitter - it had changed for one further down the country which I was unable to access.   Five minutes and it was sorted.   But sod's law there is absolutely nothing I want to watch on television tonight - shall have to look on iplayer if all else fails.

My son (who is on Half Term this week) has kindly been and taken Tess out twice today for me.  Apart from the cold and the biting wind it is also very slippery underfoot and I am afraid of falling.   The weather forecast is that it is set to get
slightly warmer over the next few days - can't come soon enough for me.

I cooked a nice, warming vegetable soup for my lunch- all manner of veggies I had left from the weekend.   It was delicious.   Also in my Remoska I cooked a pork sausage casserole of good quality sausage with onions, garlic,sweet potato and an apple.   That was good too and there is enough left for tomorrow.   You need good, warming food inside you in cold weather like this.

22 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

Keep it simple as far as the garden is concerned. The lawn and a few shrubs will attract butterflies and birds. Look to the longer term and what the gardener will want to do is my advice. One assumes he is getting older each day as all of us are.

justjill said...

One of the best bits of advice I had when looking at a wasteland was to visit a garden centre every so often and buy and plant what ever was in bloom, perennials that is. It works.

Sue said...

I didn't enjoy taking Rick out in the cold, sleeting rain this afternoon. I don't think he liked it much either.

Heather said...

Such a shame that your garden has been neglected. Would your gardener deal with the Mares Tail for you? The snowdrops will spread and at least you have your own bulbs to look forward to. A few favourite shrubs will cheer things up in no time.
I love making veg.soup and your casserole sounds delicious.
Wet and very cold and gusty here today. Very difficult to keep hold of my umbrella this morning.

Joanne Noragon said...

It is such a cold, nasty rain here.How I am looking forward to spring, and being able to walk a little in my garden, this year.

DUTA said...

When one lives alone, gardens and critters complicate matters.
One could try and learn how to be more practical, and less sentimental. Not easy, but possible.

Chris said...

I am longing for Spring too but ours is still a long way off - probably mid-March until the snow melts. Stay safe!

Red said...

Your sausage casserole sounds awesome! I'll have to look on line for a recipe.

angryparsnip said...

We had a good Valentines Day today it RAINED ! we need it so much.

cheers, parsnip and mandibles

Cro Magnon said...

How about a Cox's Apple for the middle of your lawn?

Derek Faulkner said...

Winter flowering heathers would look good on the less accessible parts of your terraces and need little attention. One planted they gradually spread and fill in the gaps, come with gold and green foliage and at this time of year are just coming in to flower. In the sunshine one day this week mine were feeding the first bumblebee.
My partner has Mares Tail in her Surrey garden and it is a nightmare to eradicate, almost impossible actually. By continually digging it out and weed killing with specialist weedkiller we have reduced it but not beaten it.

Librarian said...

I am sure you will have good ideas for your garden that make it look nice without creating too much work for you.
Yes, we need hot food this time of year! I made a thick soup of carrots and spuds with lots of ground pepper, ginger and nutmeg in it and put it in my freezer for the weekend when I hope O.K. will help me eating it, maybe after a walk out across the windswept fields.

Derek Faulkner said...

Further to my comments above, this morning is much milder, the sun is coming out and we're forecast to reach the heady heights of 10 degrees today. The next few days are set to be similar, so hooray.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Cro - I love the idea of a Cox's apple I don't think there is anything like it anywhere on the estate - might create a sensation.

Derek - Mares tail IS impossible to eradicate. I once heard someone on Gardeners World say that it was a pre-historic weed and impossible to get rid of. All that can be done is to keep digging it out but it will just regrow immediately. Actually it is quite pretty to look at but so heavily invasive.

Thanks everyone. Busy day today but still plenty of that casserole left for when I pop back home for lunch. Also no worries about her walks as it is a PetPals day.

thelma said...

Well you could always cover the mare's tail with cardboard and then some black (unfortunately) plastic but their roots are bit like ground elder do persist. Sadly maybe you will have to live with it, I presume it is the same as horsetail, introduced so it is told by the Romans. Ground elder came in with the medieval monks, you can eat it in spring when young and fresh a bit like nettles.

Derek Faulkner said...

Pat, something to bear in mind should you decide to plant a Cox's apple - they are not self-fertile, which means that they need another apple variety nearby that flowers at the same time, in order that pollination can take place.

Mac n' Janet said...

I'm sure you and you Gardner will make a beautiful garden. Hope it warms up for you. We were chilly yesterday (55º) and will warm to 80º today.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for the advice Derek - on thinking over Cro's suggestion I have discounted it anyway as my view would be seriously spoilt.

That is the only thing I can come up with too Thelma. As yet I have no idea of the area involved so am waiting to see what occurs.

Thanks to you all.

Minigranny said...

Hellebores are always something to look forward to at this time of year. Mare's Tail is a nightmare - I was glad to leave mine behind when we moved!

Rachel Phillips said...

Leave it all as it is and keep the grass cut and the weeds down chopped with the mower where possible or the strimmer by the gardener. Enjoy going out with friends and leave the garden ticking over on the minimum that it takes.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Minigranny - I adore hellebores - I saw six different varieties for sale in a newspaper in the early Autumn before I moved in here - I shall definitely buy some next Autumn.
Rachel - before I got too old gardening was one of my main hobbies - I really do want to get it so that I can sit out on the patio and enjoy it with friends (if we ever get any decent weather).

Rachel Phillips said...

As long as it is tidy that is all that will matter.